[yasr_overall_rating]
February 12 is just another day in Sam’s charmed life until it turns out to be her last. Stuck reliving her last day over one inexplicable week, Sam untangles the mystery around her death and discovers everything she’s in danger of losing.
Young Adult novel adaptations are usually a feeding ground for those who they are written for, young adults. These novels seem to feature teens that have a sharp intellect, wear all the latest fashions, and go to schools that seem to be designed by millennials who have taken a stroll through the Austin neighborhoods. Film critics usually dread these showings due to the recycled nature of YA films. Most of the time, it’s the same premise over and over. One that is given a Disney style-shoot with far-fetched storylines that seem to end up happy at the end. “Before I Fall” isn’t one of those films. This YA adaptation borrows its premise from “Groundhog Day” but other than that, this film is a unique piece that could be one of the first film adaptations to get its point across to the masses, not just kids age 13-18.
“Before I Fall” has an interesting effect on its viewers. What you take from the film when it ends is dependent on who you were in high school. While viewers were piling out of the cramped theater, you could hear girls talking about how they had been like Sam Kingston (Zoey Deutch), the main character before she made her evolution, not after. Pity was thrown at the girl in the film that had been bullied but the character also drew some laughs, no doubt those viewers had a different view of high school than most. This fork in the road that the movie’s director, Ry Russo-Young has created, is one to be marveled at, a film that holds two sides and few will see both.
“Before I Fall” lets go of the sparkle and shine that clings to other YA adaptations in favor of a sharper, darker tone. The film is shown in a wide, spanning view, allowing for the setting to be taken in which is always dreary, an overcast always hangs overhead, lending itself to the film’s darker attributes. It must be said that the movie’s first part is hard to sit through. This is the portion that can’t seem to disconnect itself from the High School musical-esqe setting and storyline as Sam and her friends plan for her to lose her virginity at a rager but once the story reaches its turning point, the fantasy world is wiped away and outed for what it is, adolescent madness and horror.
As the film progresses, its style can be seen as a genius move that will set it apart from others who try and take the same road. Sam may not seem like an interesting character, to begin with, but as time passes, you will see the different layers of her. Not only her but those around her seem to bloom until the movie’s culmination, which can leave viewers confused. Was the film about Sam saving her own life or was it about cultivating a better world for those she leaves behind? This question sort of masks the main points that the movie was trying to address. There are no innocent bystanders when it comes to bullying. We all are responsible for what happens. See something, say something. That is why Sam is in the never-ending loop so that she can realize that and act on it.
“Before I Fall” is a film worth watching and I advise you to take any young woman you know to see it, the issues dealt with are pressing and the cultivation of strong character from within the movie could result in real life changes outside of the theater.
In theaters Friday, March 3rd
